According to Search Metrics’ 2013 analysis of the factors that correlate with strong search rankings, keyword links and domains have lost relevance (as compared with the previous year), while success with social media is playing an increasingly important role. Specifically, among the factors which correlate positively with improved search rankings, 7 of the top 10 are social-media related, including Facebook shares, likes, and comments, as well as Tweets, Pinterest, and Google +1.
As regards the relationship between social media success and search rankings, the analysis concludes:
“…this year’s study confirms the trend that became evident as early as 2012: well positioned URLs have a high number of likes, shares, tweets, and plus ones, and specific URLs stand out in the top search results with a very high mass of social signals.”
THE NEED FOR SPECIFIC STRATEGIES
These findings are good news (and vindication) for those businesses that have invested heavily in comprehensive social media strategies and presence. On the other hand, beyond pointing in general terms to the relationship between, say, Facebook likes and search results, they don’t explain specifically how social media impacts SEO, or provide practical guidance and recommendations for ways in which marketers can enhance their social media presence.A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP
Observing the increasing influence of social media on search rankings, some have argued that traditional SEO has become less relevant. That’s an overstatement and is not likely to be the case as long as Web searchers continue to use search engines to find what they’re looking for. In fact, SEO and social media strategies can and should be mutually beneficial.
Here are 5 tips for on how to improve SEO by using social media:
CONCLUSION
Increasingly, prudent social media strategy is about more than generating likes, shares, and tweets. It’s also about boosting search rankings and SEO. You can achieve higher search engine rankings by treating SEO and social media as part of a unified strategy. The goals of which include increasing the number and quality of incoming links, judiciously incorporating relevant keywords, and posting fresh and unique content.